Orissa High Court: In a writ petition seeking a direction to the Union of India for clarification regarding the candidature for the “Padma Shri Award” which is in dispute between the present petitioner and the respondent 2 (Padma Shri Awardee) who has been accused of impersonating the present petitioner, the Bench of Dr. SK Panigrahi, J. said that the petitioner filed to showcase any document where his name has been figured as a “Padmashri Awardee”. The Court imposed a cost of Rs. 10,000/- on him.
Vide previous order dated 11-02-2025, the Court directed both parties to produce all relevant publications and materials before the Court to substantiate their respective claims regarding the conferment of the Padma Shri Award.
The petitioner’s case was that he is a Doctor and an Odia Litterateur. He has authored 29 books in Odia and other Indian languages, and in recognition to his contributions to literature, his name was included in the Padma Shri Awardee list, which was declared in 2023. The Padma Shri Awardee who bears the same name is a journalist by profession, and he fraudulently secured the Padma Shri Award for 2023 by impersonating the petitioner.
The Court pointed out that despite a few adjournments being granted to the petitioner to place on record all the documents to embolden his claim, the petitioner failed to submit any document where his name has been figured as a “Padmashri Awardee”. The Court said that the petitioner unnecessarily created controversy and also demeaned the prestige of the award and tried to malign the image of the respondent 2.
Hence, the Court imposed a cost of Rs. 10,000/- on the petitioner for unnecessarily wasting the valuable time of the Court. The same shall be paid to the Orissa High Court Bar Association, Cuttack for the purchase of books within a period of ten days from the date of decision.
[Antaryami Mishra v. Union of India, W.P.(C) No.9971 of 2023, decided on: 16-04-2025]
